Decision Maker Response

Scot Medbury’s response

Scot Medbury

President, Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Scot Medbury

President, Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Oct 4, 2013 — Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG) remains strongly committed to ensuring that scientific research remains a fundamental part of its mission, and intends to resume a focused research program with an emphasis on plant conservation.

Several times in its history, the Garden has paused to take a careful look at its research program and reimagine its focus and direction, and the Garden is currently at another such juncture.

In August, a convergence of issues led to the very difficult decision to terminate three positions in the Garden's Science department and to temporarily place BBG's research program on hiatus. These included an accelerated engineering problem affecting the foundation of the Garden’s off-site research facility that requires BBG to vacate the building; and a forecasted budget shortfall of nearly ¾ million in its current fiscal year.

The New York Botanical Garden and other institutions and individuals have generously offered to assist BBG in this challenging time, and we are grateful for this outpouring of support.

BBG will resume a research program in the near future, one that has strong resonance in our community and that has a sustainable source of funding. We look forward to updating our supporters regularly with milestones in our progress.